sci fi – space opera

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Summary: Puzzle-loving, enigma-obsessed, and mystery-driven freelance Xeno-archeologist Nicholas Wells relishes voyages to lost worlds in his quest for artifacts. His expeditions aboard his SmartShip, Maisie, with his faithful canine companion, Rotor, not only offer him thrilling intellectual challenges but also unforeseen perils. After one dicey incident with a rockslide, his benefactor, Patrick Dupont, insists Nicholas needs a bodyguard. Threatening to withdraw financial support, Patrick reminds Nicholas that a deceased archeologist gains neither personal acclaim nor brings glory to his patron. Nicholas grudgingly agrees and drafts an exhaustive list of qualifications for his potential bodyguard, which he believes would be unattainable. However, life throws him a curveball. Nailing every criterion on his list, Decker Reid of Merx Security steps in. With cybernetic modifications, unmatched defensive skills, and a dedicated mission to shield Nicholas from his reckless adventures, Decker proves to be a worthy bodyguard. Although Nicholas reacts with consternation, Decker is unabashed—his main focus the safety of this intrepid scientist. Regardless of how intent Nicholas is on charting his own path, Decker is close behind, at the ready to swoop in and rescue him. Because protecting Nicholas has become more than a job for Decker…now it's personal.

Word Count: Click here to reveal48508 (Click here to hide)

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Summary: For Levi Mattson, being a doctor aboard the Mercy hospital ship is a dream come true. Every time he takes those first steps onto a new planet, greeting eagerly expectant patients, he can't help feeling he was born for this. However, not all parts of his job are as rewarding. The ire of disgruntled patients, their worried families, and the occasional unsatisfied onlooker often puts him in the line of fire. Enter David Sabre, a veteran of Merx Security. He's seen it all and done even more, and the anticipation of a long-awaited retirement is sizable. Despite the allure of peace and serenity, he agrees to one last contract, to the delight of Dr. Mattson’s superiors. Reluctantly, Levi is forced to accept this new life with a bodyguard he didn't ask for - a gruff protector armed with a constant arsenal of snide remarks. David, on his part, is determined to guard Levi with his life, whether or not Levi appreciates it. Adjusting to a life where every step he takes is shadowed by his own personal security detail wasn't what Levi signed up for. How will he come to terms with the fact that he's worth protecting? Will David be able to navigate the treacherous waters of the reluctant doctor he's meant to safeguard? Most importantly, will these two vastly different individuals find common ground and possibly even save their strained relationship? Only time will tell. Step into their world, and prepare for a thrilling journey of wills, courage, and unexpected kinship.

Word Count: Click here to reveal13200 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: In Space, No One Can Hear You Sing … Grayson Eck's life is a drag, in all the best possible ways. He's perfectly happy working in the belt alone as a wildcatter, prospecting asteroids by … well, not exactly by day. At night, he transforms into the Inner System's most famous Valeriana Storm — a secret identity that even his closest friends and family don't know about. When someone tries to steal one of Greyson's mining scores, he has half a mind to just toss the guy off his rock and into open space. But that all changes when he discovers the stranger's identity — and that he knows Greyson's secret. Now he's being chased by a pirate, and has to decide what to do with the apparent thief while also putting on his show. What's a space drag queen to do?

Word Count: Click here to reveal38000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Aromantic, Bisexual, Demigender, Demisexual (Click here to hide)

Summary: RISE (noun / verb) Eight definitions to inspire writers around the world, and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) An upward slope or movement 2) A beginning or origin 3) An increase in amount or number 4) An angry reaction 5) To take up arms 6) To return from death 7) To become heartened or elated 8) To exert oneself to meet a challenge Rise features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

Word Count: Click here to reveal61000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: With the planet on the brink of erupting and his memories gone, can Commander Damon Wild find his way back home?  Commander Damon Wild is not having a good day. Being shot down on a remote planet by the Siwu pirates and then losing his memories is enough to make a good man desperate. When his situation becomes worse—a planetary eruption—Damon knows he must do something. A small scientific outpost at the centre of a caldera offers something he had only dreamt about, hope. Captain Zaveid L’eau offers Damon a place to recover and space to find himself once more. The attractive captain distracts him from his troubles, and it is enough. Damon can see light at the end of the tunnel and Zaveid is the one lighting the way. With a volcano on the brink of exploding and pirates constantly nipping at his heels, Damon doesn’t have time for peace. The pirates are breathing down their necks and a massive eruption destroying everything, Damon must learn to trust Zaveid with his heart and that no matter the circumstances, love will give them the strength to defeat all enemies, including their own self-doubt. Calamity is the fourth book of the StarStation series, featuring amnesiac heroes, long-suffering captains, and a race against time. Because of the unique circumstances of this book, one does not need to read the previous books, but it is better to get the whole picture.

Word Count: Click here to reveal15000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Demisexual, Gay, Pansexual (Click here to hide)

Summary: Can a retired assassin be the savior his people need? How does a former assassin save his fellow humans from extinction? By allying them with mrrogs of course! But that’s easier said than done as humans are understandably distrustful and suspicious of sescurei, the official species of the InterGalactic community. Leopold must convince them that Mastrodai’s offer of alliance isn’t a trick, which means diplomacy, patience, and tenacity. Times like this make him grateful that he has two strong mates to lean on. And when it comes to understanding his own people, he’d be wise to follow Alex’s lead. Alex has been too long away from her family and is thrilled to see them again. But with reunions come old pressures, old doubts, and old wounds. She must negotiate who she was with who she is, while helping her mates and her colony come together with the shared goal of freedom. Mastrodai, meanwhile, finds himself in the minority for the first time in his life, and the constant hostility has him doubting the wisdom of their choices. But he’s devoted to his human mates and determined to see things through no matter the discomfort… or danger. Not everyone wants what Leopold and his mates have to give, and he needs to break through the resistance humans have built up after generations of degradation, humiliation, and fear. He must win his people’s trust, solve the riddle of his parents’ rings, and navigate the new complexities of his love life. Being an assassin was so much easier. Reader Discretion advised: PTSD, abusive family, a cult, MMF romance, dystopian.

Word Count: Click here to reveal33000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Aromantic, Bisexual, Demigender, Demisexual, Gay, Genderfluid, Genderqueer, Intersex, Lesbian, Non Binary, Questioning, Pansexual, Polyamorous, Straight, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Clarity (noun) Four definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) Coherent and intelligible 2) Transparent or pure 3) Attaining certainty about something 4) Easy to see or hear Clarity features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

Word Count: Click here to reveal58000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Can Gratch save his friends and keep his heart safe before the space pirates destroy everything? Commander Gratch is stressed. He needs peace after almost losing his friends twice to the space pirates. With the crew of the Padua taking time to rehabilitate and relax on the Asyran Moon, Gratch hopes that all will be well; however, a tiny niggle of suspicion rears its ugly head and all Gratch knows is paranoia. Not everything can be this perfect. All hell will break loose if Gratch isn’t ready. But a nighttime flirtation on the beach with Tyr, a mysterious man, distracts him from his worries and fear. Until all hell breaks loose and allies become enemies. Separated from his friends and with deadly robots intent on experimenting on him, Gratch fights to escape. His only chance at surviving is with Tyr who just happened to be at the right place at the right time, ready to rescue him. Tyr’s knowledge of the land and his sneaky ways worry Gratch. What if this man with his sly humour and his pretty eyes is only helping Gratch to further the Siwu’s agenda? What if Gratch falls for him only to discover how dangerous Tyr is to his family? Is love worth the cost of an alliance? Featuring a stoic hero and his sexy spy, Temerity will take you on a ride of nights lost in a jungle, killer robots and love built on trust.

Word Count: Click here to reveal50000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Non Binary (Click here to hide)

Summary: Can a man with secrets learn to accept himself and find love on a StarStation overrun with pirates? Commander Jax Trest is a man with mysteries, even ones he doesn’t realize. Forced to recover after a harrowing event on board his spaceship, Trest meets Asyran commander, Zoagashta, a person who opens his mind to possibilities and acceptance. As Trest discovers that affection and love don’t have requirements, he begins to relax and sink into the emotions Zoagashta evokes. But all is not peaceful when the Siwu arrive and attempt to kidnap Trest for his ability to bond with ship’s hearts. Through harrowing corridor chases and death-defying leaps into the unknown, will Trest learn to accept all that he is so he can reunite with the person who always understood who he was? Sanctity features asexual awakenings, discovery of one’s true self, sweet courtships, and grumpy/sunshine first loves, along with heart-pounding moments of courageous heroes and villainous pirates.

Word Count: Click here to reveal197000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Bisexual, Demisexual, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: Saving a life can change the course of history. Destin is torn away from his chicks and his bonded when the Terrens invade Aries 7. Experimented on in Terren labs, and made to work their mines, the GyrFalconi struggle to survive. Destin becomes their caretaker, endeavoring to save as many as possible, despite the emotional toll. Amidst the battle for survival, the universe shines on him and he bonds with not one but four people who give him a reason to keep fighting. When Valespia sends its Legions to the GyrFalconi’s aid, Destin and his bonded are eventually freed, only to face new cruelties from their own people. Freedom comes with its own trials, though, as a divide forms in GyrFalconi society between the winged and the wingless. Destin and his bonded are given a chance at true happiness and they keep what they claim, no matter what. Tags: The Twenty-Year War where Terrens really mucked things up, so many hatchlings, Love not Lust (yes, using caps there seemed necessary), survivors, bisexual characters, all the cute hatchlings, talking to spirits, low heat, protective chantelle, evil empress, courageous stags, polyamorous, Destin keeps collecting bonded, avian species screech... a lot, non-human ace spectrum characters, found family, underestimated batore, so many stags, Mar'Sani mentor, did I mention the cutest chicks ever? CHERISH is the fourth book in the award-winning Valespian Pact series. Trigger warnings can be found in the Author’s Note. Please download a sample of this book or use the Look Inside feature. 196,000 words.

Word Count: Click here to reveal78,000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Questioning, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: In a galactic mating contest where desire is deadly, five hundred men will kill to claim me. But first...they'll have to catch me. Discover a spicy poly Star Wars-inspired why-choose romance that'll set your Millennium Falcon on fire!  Rebel princess Kaia is a cyber samurai with a price on her head. She's also the runaway daughter of a tyrant who’s worshipped as a god by billions. She’s just become the prize five hundred testosterone-fueled suitors will lie, seduce, and slaughter to possess in a ritual contest to rule her. Too bad the only guys she wants are the three she can never trust. Zorin is a scourge-of-the-galaxy space pirate and the most dangerous possible match. Dex is the icy imperial enforcer who hunts him...and Zorin's mouthwatering obsession. And Nero, the mesmerizing telepath who betrayed Kaia and nearly destroyed her, is a major distraction for all of them. These four have a cargo of shared secrets and a shared passion so combustible it breaks every dangerous rule on a world where lovers are crucified for forbidden unions. Their illicit heat will either save all their races…or get the four of them killed when a god unleashes a death warrant for their heads. Interstellar Angel is Book 1 in the fully complete queer poly sci fi Astral Heat Romance Series. Escape into an intense out-of-this-world adventure with first-time M/M, bi awakening, steamy MMMF encounters, a guaranteed happily-ever-after ending, and enough heat to set your spacesuit on fire!

Word Count: Click here to reveal67,992 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: All Jawk has to do is seduce Luc, the most powerful man in the empire. And then betray him. Easy mission. Until he discovers that Luc has a heart... Jawk spies on the enigmatic Luc Saint-Cyr, known empire-wide as the Harbinger. People who cross "the Man" tend to disappear. Undercover as a waiter in Luc's favorite haunt, Jawk gets a break when Luc seeks to hire him for a one-night ménage with his current lover, Wulf. Jawk agrees, and things go well until Wulf and Luc fight, and Jawk is dismissed. He must get back in the man's good graces. When Luc seeks to make Wulf jealous by taking Jawk on a long trip, the means to gather intel is too good to pass up. Meanwhile, a forbidden dalliance between Wulf and another Chosen tests the bounds of trust between the immortals and their humans. The elicit affair threatens to rupture the eons-old alliance forever, and subject every last mortal and immortal to risk...

Word Count: Click here to reveal36000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Aromantic, Bisexual, Demigender, Demisexual, Gay, Genderfluid, Genderqueer, Intersex, Lesbian, Non Binary, Questioning, Pansexual, Polyamorous, Straight, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: INK (NOUN) Five definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) A colored fluid used for writing 2) The action of signing a deal 3) A black liquid ejected by squid 4) Publicity in the written media 5) A slang word for tattoos Ink features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

Word Count: Click here to reveal39,062 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: How is this ever going to work... Ordered by the Empress to find out if the lover of a friend is having an affair, Alitus investigates. As Minister of Imperial Intelligence, Alitus has access to every camera and remote in the empire. Which is a problem, because Wulf's affair is with Alitus. As a Better, an enhanced human, Alitus can touch no one -- his pheromones are addictive. Isolated and under scrutiny, he keeps his affair with Wulf secret, because Wulf belongs to another, a powerful man allied with the empress. When the man asks the empress to investigate, Wulf's relationship with Alitus could be exposed. Complicating matters, the empress reveals her immortality, and requires Alitus to prove his loyalty. Her test throws him straight into Wulf's arms, right in front of the empress and Wulf's lover. Hiding what he and Wulf are to each other has taken discipline and denial. Now, it will take a miracle...

Word Count: Click here to reveal78,200 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Izzorah has always been a Kin, part of a human-like race of fierce, rugged felines. Now he's a brand-new immortal too. When he learns the truth about his fiancé's immortality--and his own--the familiar world he knew vanishes. He must pass a test designed by the immortal king to reveal his gifts and weaknesses. Pass and he's accepted into a warrior society he wants no part of. Fail and he's cast out, away from the man he loves. As if that's not bad enough, his lover is also the king's ex, and the king refuses to part with anything--or anyone--he loves. Fair test? Not in this immortal lifetime...

Word Count: Click here to reveal85200 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A mysterious distress call draws the crew of courier ship Hermes to what appears to be an empty, drifting troop vessel--empty except for the blood and gore spattered corridors and a lone survivor locked in a holding cell. Drawn to the handsome, traumatized man, the crew’s comm officer, Isaac Ozawa, makes Turk his personal responsibility, offering him the kindness and warmth he needs after the horror he experienced. Isaac knows firsthand what it’s like to be different and an outcast, and this cements their bond. Once a promising pilot, Isaac was left with a damaged body when his brain didn't meld with the high-tech implant needed to fly fighter ships. Turk’s brain is no better. The result of a military experiment gone wrong, his natural abilities have been augmented to a dangerous degree. When an amoral, power-hungry admiral kidnaps Isaac and uses him to convince Turk to become the cataclysmic weapon he’s hungered for, it will take Turk’s strength, the ingenuity of the Hermes crew, the help of the enigmatic Drak’tar, and Isaac’s own stubborn will to save them.

Word Count: Click here to reveal54000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Lieutenant Michael Collins’s week just went to hell. The suspicious actions of his captain escalates as he orders Michael to investigate a dead ship’s heart—the cephalopods that pilot the star drive system. The mission forces Michael from the safety of his ship and his lover, Commander Eizen Sartris, while straining the bond with his own ship’s heart, Padua. Attacked by Siwu pirates, Michael finds refuge on a damaged alien vessel, where he waits for Eizen to rescue him. But in the dark cold wreckage, he discovers a thriving garden tended by a strange young boy on behalf of his enigmatic “Mama.” Fear dominates Michael’s thoughts as he struggles not to succumb to the darkness and terror of abandonment. To survive he must rely on his wits and hold fast to his faith that Eizen will find him before the pirates—or before the mysterious entity on board decides to destroy him.

Word Count: Click here to reveal54247 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay, Pansexual (Click here to hide)

Summary: For millennia, they fight side by side. Now one king faces a lonely quest. As Light and Shadow, King Pietas and General Cyken share every battle, as well as a fierce and passionate love. But, torn apart by the king's rage, Cyken ends their stormy relationship. When General Cyken falls in love with another man, Pietas undertakes a perilous quest on the dangerous world of Felidae to prove he is the better choice for Cyken. If he succeeds in his quest, it will either bring Cyken back, or drive him even closer to his new love. Pietas must try, for he cannot walk into eternity alone. He must have a shadow to balance his light...

Word Count: Click here to reveal45500 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealLesbian (Click here to hide)

Summary:

Word Count: Click here to reveal270000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Lesbian (Click here to hide)

Summary: Oberon is unique among the Common Worlds - a half-world with a strange past and an uncertain future. Jameson Havercamp and Xander Kinnson are thrust into the middle of a world-ending event and have to scramble to save the world - and themselves. Along the way, they peel back the layers of the onion to discover secrets wrapped in secrets that will eventually take them to where it all started - and may provide the key to saving Oberon and everyone on it. SKYTHANE Jameson Havercamp, a psych from a conservative religious colony, has come to Oberon—unique among the Common Worlds—in search of a rare substance called pith. He’s guided through the wilds on his quest by Xander Kinnson, a handsome, cocky skythane with a troubled past. Neither knows that Oberon is facing imminent destruction. Even as the world starts to fall apart around them, they have no idea what’s coming—or the bond that will develop between them as they race to avert a cataclysm. Together, they will journey to uncover the secrets of this strange and singular world, even as it takes them beyond the bounds of reality itself to discover what truly binds them. LANDER The world needs saving, again. Xander and Jameson thought they’d fulfilled their destiny when they brought the worlds of Oberon and Titania back together, but their short-lived moment of triumph is over. Reunification has thrown the world into chaos. A great storm ravaged Xander's kingdom of Gaelan, leaving the winged skythane people struggling to survive. Their old enemy, Obercorp, is biding its time, waiting to strike. And to the north, a dangerous new adversary gathers strength, while an unexpected ally awaits them. In the midst of it all, Xander’s ex Alix returns, and Xander and Jameson discover that their love for each other may have been drug-induced. Are they truly destined for each other, or is what they feel artificial? And can they face an even greater challenge when their world needs them most? ITHANI Time is running out. After saving the world twice, Xander, Jameson and friends plunge headlong into a new crisis. The ithani―the aliens who broke the world―have reawakened from their hundred millennia-long slumber. When Xander and Jameson disappear in a flash, an already fractured world is thrown into chaos. The ithani plans, laid a hundred thousand years before, are finally coming to pass, and they threaten all life on Erro. Venin and Alix go on a desperate search for their missing and find more than they bargained for. And Quince, Robin and Jessa discover a secret as old as the skythane themselves. Will alien technology, unexpected help from the distant past, destiny and some good old-fashioned firepower be enough to defeat an enemy with the ability to split a world? The final battle of the epic science fiction adventure that began in Skythane will decide the fate of lander and skythane alike. And in the north, the ithani rise….